Working effectively across cultures

Worksheet
1 Warmer

What other cultures and nationalities do you work with?

2 Missing information

a. Decide where these headings belong in the article and write them onto the lines next to tip
numbers 2, 4, 6 and 9.

–– Put yourself in others’ shoes

–– Observe, don’t judge

–– Neither over- nor underestimate the role of national cultures

–– Gain relevant knowledge

b. Complete tip numbers 1, 3, 7 and 10 by writing the key words from the boxes underneath each
tip onto the lines provided.

3 Key words

Match the key words to the definitions below. Find and underline them in the article. Then read the
article and note how they are used in context.

ambiguity approach biases empowered genuine incompetent

leveraged mutual rapport stakeholders tendencies volatile

1. felt or experienced in the same way by each of two or more people

(intro)

2. real, rather than pretended or false (tip 1)

3. used to benefit something or someone (tip 1)

4. aspects of your character that you show by behaving in a particular way

(tip 3)

5. lacking the ability or skills to do something (tip 4)

6. a particular way of thinking about or dealing with something

(tip 4)

7. a relationship in which people like, understand and respect each other

(tip 5)

8. given the authority to do something (tip 7)

9. something that is not clear because it has more than one possible meaning

(tip 8)
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BUSINESS SPOTLIGHT / Working effectively across cultures

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 Working effectively across cultures

10. used to describe a situation that can suddenly change or become more dangerous

Worksheet
(tip 8)

11. people who have an interest in the success of a plan, system or organization, for example a

worker in a company (tip 9)

12. attitudes that make you treat someone in a way that is unfair or different from the way you treat

other people (tip 10)

4 Understanding the article

Are these statements true (T) or false (F) according to information from the article? Correct any
statements that are false.

1. Cultural differences should be tolerated. [ T / F ]

2. Guidebooks are unhelpful when it comes to finding out about other cultures. [ T / F ]

3. It is easy to oversimplify culture differences. [ T / F ]

4. People who live and work in the culture you are interested in could help you to find out more about that
particular culture. [ T / F ]

5. When visiting a country for the first time, try to copy how local people behave and dress. [ T / F ]

6. Adapt your behaviour to that of your international business partners even if this means behaving in an
inauthentic way that is alien to you. [ T / F ]

7. The influence of our culture is only one aspect that affects our way of working and behaving. [ T / F ]

8. It’s as useful to understand your own behaviour as it is to understand that of your business
partners. [ T / F ]
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BUSINESS SPOTLIGHT / Working effectively across cultures

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 Working effectively across cultures

Worksheet
res by Robert Gibson
Working effectively across cultu
and
but as something to be (3)
A lack of knowledge about other el abro ad does n’t
leveraged for competitive advantage. Trav
cultures is often the cause of if you appr oach it
automatically make you intercultural, but
misunderstandings between business an impo rtant way to
with an open mind and curiosity, it can be
partners from different countries. your intercultu ral com petence.
ROBERT GIBSON gives us ten (4)
things to remember when working You may not be able to be fluent in all the
languages that
with other cultures. you come across, but try to learn a few key
phrases. Your
(5) will be appreciated even if
Introduction English.
you are not perfect and you then switch to
need for
In an increasingly global business world, the
more important for crea se  | k een
intercultural skills is becoming more and cele brat ed  | e ffort  |  enjo y |  in
ral com petence is
ever greater numbers of people. Intercultu
or those on long-term
important not only for business travellers 2
work ing in inter national
foreign assignments but also for those Tip 2:
nizat ions.
project teams or managing global orga to finding
A high-quality guidebook is often a good start
ly Planet and Rough
If your customers are in different countries
, a key to success information about other cultures. The Lone
information for
is understanding how they think and what
they expect; this Guide series provide well-researched basic
also be found in the
differs widely from country to country. If you wan t to develop travellers to many countries. Basic facts can
need to form and online CIA World Factbook.
innovative products and services, you will
step outsi de your
manage diverse teams. Even if you never helpful, too.
asing ly likely that Research on cultural differences can be
office, virtual communication makes it incre in the 1950 s was the US
s, custo mers or A pioneer in the field
you will have to communicate with colleague Hall ; his book s are still worth
anthropologist Edward
suppliers from different cultures. reak ing quan titati ve rese arch was
reading today. Ground-b
s – knowledge
Intercultural competence means being able
to overcome cultural done by Geert Hofstede at IBM in the 1970
to understand key
barriers and build constructive relationships
with partners from of his cultural dimensions can help you
international
different cultures for mutual benefit. The aim,
in the business cultural differences relevant to setting up
pena ars has adde d new dimensions
context, is to create value from diversity. organizations. Fons Trom
the business world.
and done much to popularize the topic in
What do you need to be able to work effec
tively across insky have written
More recently, Erin Meyer and Andy Mol
cultures? My key tips are taken from my expe
rience of ions to the topic.
some popular and highly readable introduct
national corporation to oversimplify
supporting global collaboration in an inter When using all these books, be careful not
d my LinkedIn
over the past 20 years. Recently, I also aske cultural differences.
sed that my
connections what they thought and was plea you may be
question was viewed by more than 6,000
people and generated If you are working in global virtual teams,
have integrated into e’s book Whe re in the World Is My
many useful comments, some of which I interested in Terence Brak
national orga nizations will find
this article. Team? Those managing inter
Nancy Adler’s work very usefu l.
Ten key tips for intercultural success be local
A great source of relevant information can
who live in, or are from, the
1 Tip 1: Be curious “informants”. These are people
ssarily have to be high up in
t other cultures, target culture. They don’t nece
Have a genuine interest in finding out abou the hierarchy, but they need to be peop le you can trust and
intercultural encounters and re but also yours.
(1) who understand not just their own cultu
be (2) to learn languages. One of inter prete rs can often provide
ful curiosity”. Try Experienced team assistants and
my LinkedIn connections called this “joy this sort of information.
as a prob lem to be tolerated
to see cultural differences not Continued on next page
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BUSINESS SPOTLIGHT / Working effectively across cultures

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 Working effectively across cultures

Worksheet
res by Robert Gibson
Working effectively across cultu
and he asked her
came into the room, I introduced the guest
3 Tip 3: Avoid stereotyping where she came from. When she replied “Bei
jing”, he said:
closed question
A stereotype is a fixed, (6)
belief “Isn’t the smog terrible there?” This negative,
ort with the visitor.
about a particular category of people. Whe
n dealing with other was not the best way of establishing a rapp
d an open question
cultures, it is tempting to try to put people
into convenient It would have been much better to have aske
the positive rather
categories, but the truth is that no one wan
ts to be put into a like “What do you do there?” and focus on
s, like politics, when
box. When I moved to Germany, many peop
le offered me tea to than the negative. Avoid controversial topic
drink, working on the (7)
that “the trying to make small talk.
tea very muc h and
British drink tea”. In fact, I really don’t like Tip 6:
6
se, many peop le do
would have much preferred coffee. Of cour .
that everyone does agues and partners
drink tea in Britain, but that doesn’t mean Show respect for and empathize with colle
is the ability to understand and
example, but if from different cultures. Empathy
This is a (8) n. Resp ectin g those feelings
nsions to individual share the feelings of another perso
you try to apply the data on cultural dime doesn’t mean that you have to agre e with them , but at least you
sophisticated
behaviour, you are in danger of creating need to show in some way that you unde rstand what the other
resu lts of the rese arch can help you
stereotypes. While the person is feeling.
to predict
to understand tendencies, they cannot be used
beha viou r. This is the problem 7
(9)
They may seem Tip 7: Be flexible and adaptable
with oversimplified lists of dos and don’ts.
, but they can give you a false Having understood the culturally
(10)
behaviour of your
sense of security. (11)
to
international business partners, you may need
eneralized | trivial (12) your own behaviour.
assumption | attractive | individual | overg that methods that
Don’t (13)
culture will
have been successful for you in your own
Tip 4: (14) work in interaction with
4 l, you need to have a
how people behave people from other cultures. To be successfu
When travelling abroad, take time to observe toolbox of techniques (15)
to deal
What is considered
before you make a judgement or take action. with different people in different situations
.
to where you
to be “normal” behaviour will differ according
each other and ns may have to be
are. Observe how people dress, how they greet For instance, as a manager, your instructio
ntations. You don’t followed in a hierarchical culture; however
, you may have to
how they behave during meetings and prese
will then have ng with employees
necessarily have to copy what they do, but you change your management style when deali
If everyone is e their own decisions.
a better idea of what they might expect of you. who are used to being empowered to mak
suit and tie, you – and,
wearing casual clothing and you turn up in a
Don’t immediately
for that matter, the others – may feel awkward. adapt | assume | automatically | avail
able | determined
your business partners:
jump to conclusions about the behaviour of
late, it doesn’t
if someone doesn’t do something, or does it 8
or lazy. Maybe they
necessarily mean that they are incompetent Tip 8: Cope with ambiguity
to time or hierarchy.
have other priorities or a different approach iguity and complexity
It is important to be able to cope with amb
losing sight of your
5 Tip 5: Ask, don’t tell in international business situations without
ly important
and in a culturally own position. This is becoming an increasing
It is important to communicate effectively skill in the VUCA world (volatile, uncertain
, complex and
natio nal envi ronm ent. Rather than to keep pace
appropriate way in an inter ambiguous). Change is fast and unpredictable;
culture, ask them open questions. ear and complex
telling people about their with it, you need to be able to cope with uncl
intercultural training course and we
Recently, I was running an situations, while staying authentic.
of the participants
had a guest speaker from China. When one Continued on next page
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BUSINESS SPOTLIGHT / Working effectively across cultures

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 Working effectively across cultures

Worksheet
res by Robert Gibson
Working effectively across cultu
neman has
The Nobel Prize-winning author Daniel Kah
9 Tip 9: described how the brain can (18)
nscious biases. We
People are influenced by a number of cultu
ral factors, one of us to make snap judgements and have unco
rs are influenced can try to become aware
which is national culture. Other cultural facto can’t get rid of these biases, but we
al, gender, age, show n, these
by things like regional, corporate, profession of them. As Richard Nisbett and others have
idual has multiple patterns are culturally
religious, class or tribal differences. Each indiv (19)
people, you need rent cultures.
cultural identities – to work successfully with determined, and thinking is different in diffe
 stakeholders.
to understand the “multicollectivity” of your to reflect on your
To work effectively across cultures, you need
res are not static but time and is a
It is also important to remember that cultu own beliefs, values and behaviour. This takes
rchers call this
dynamic, interactive and impure; some resea (20) process. The book The
more cultures interact, the more they y useful practical
“polyculturalism”. The Mindful International Manager contains man
borrow from each other. exercises to help you reflect on your cultural
background.
r is influenced not
Culture is not a stand-alone – our behaviou the Talmud: “We
idua l prefe renc es, as well as by the Remember the saying from the Jewish text
only by culture but by indiv we are.”
h the inter actio n takes place. For don’t see things as they are. We see them as
situation and context in whic
be different in a form al business
example, your behaviour will
mal socia l settin g. thought | ultimately
setting from what it is in an infor critically | lifelong | mislead |

10 Tip 10: Take time for reflection rience of

ROBERT GIBSON has over 25 years’ expe
on, ent in educ ation and
Be aware of, and reflect (16) r. intercultural competence developm
des, beliefs and beha viou ral training at
your own culturally determined attitu
, the key business. He was responsible for intercultu
ntly profe ssor of
I am convinced that, (17) Siemens AG from 2000 to 2018 and is curre
not so much about
to working successfully across cultures is cross-cultural management at Bologna Busi
ness School. You
rstan ding yourself. What are intercultural skills on
understanding others but about unde can contact him and join the discussion on
mak e you annoyed or sad
the culturally determined triggers that LinkedIn (www.linkedin.com/in/robe rt-gibson -6a36a315).
or happy?
© Business Spotlight, 7/2018
www.business-spotlight.de

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BUSINESS SPOTLIGHT / Working effectively across cultures

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 Working effectively across cultures

Worksheet
5 Summarizing

Write a summary of ten words or fewer for each of the ten tips in the article.

1.

2.

3.

4.

5.

6.

7.

8.

9.

10.

6 Intercultural tips

Write ten tips to help business people from another county and culture who are visiting your
country, local region or your company (choose one) for the first time. Present your tips.

7 Webquest

In his second tip, the author mentions the CIA World Factbook. Visit the website below and see
what information it gives about your country or the country that you are living in. Does this
information reflect your own personal experience and knowledge of living in this country?

www.cia.gov/library/publications/the-world-factbook/

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BUSINESS SPOTLIGHT / Working effectively across cultures

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